Andrew Southcott (Boothby, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Trade and Investment. Will the minister update the House on how businesses in my home state of South Australia can capitalise on the government's free trade agreement with China? What impact will this have on jobs and the local economy in my electorate?

Andrew Robb (Goldstein, Liberal Party, Minister for Trade and Investment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would like to thank the member for his question and for his efforts in promoting the opportunities that are emerging from this trifecta of free trade agreements on offer. Of course the free trade agreements are a key plank of our economic strategy to help drive jobs and growth beyond the mining boom. Already we are seeing some quite extraordinary business opportunities and partnerships emerging between Australian and Chinese companies in anticipation of the China deal entering into force in two or three months time.

Part of our program to identify the free trade agreement opportunities is a three-hour small business roadshow that is being taken around Australia. The member for Boothby has hosted one such seminar in his electorate, as did our fellow South Australian colleague the member for Hindmarsh last week. In total over 150 businesses attended those two forums. We have now had close to 1,000 small and medium businesses attending forums around the country, and there are up to 200 forums planned over the next two years.

Brian Lawrie from Sky Seafoods in Adelaide was at one of those seminars. Sky Seafoods is an example of the many Australian businesses who are already putting in place strategies to capitalise on the free trade agreement we have secured with China, our largest trading partner. Currently, Sky Seafoods faces tariffs of up to 15 per cent. Once this enters into force, those tariffs will go. The opportunities are enormous and already there are delegations coming to Mr Lawrie's operation. He said: 'ChAFTA has opened up doors in China to expand our business with existing clients such as the big restaurant chains and offer new products which we think will be welcomed with open arms.'

Chalk Hill Wines in South Australia is another example of Australian business already looking to the future beyond ChAFTA. Winery manager, Stuart Mosman, who has also attended a seminar, described the agreement as a huge boost to their opportunities. We saw Seppeltsfield just last week complete a sale of 4,000 tonnes of wine—nearly 10 per cent of the whole offering—to China; a new sale based on the prospect of the free trade agreement. That is jobs for Australians; that is opportunity; that is growth. This is the future and these free trade agreements will lead to tens of thousands of new jobs, unlike what we are hearing from the other side, and it warrants the full support of this parliament.